Indonesia on high alert as hot spots soar from 94 to 1,000 in Sumatra

Indonesia’s western region is now on high alert as fires continue to rip through forest and peatlands in Sumatra.

“The hot and dry weather conditions have increased the risk, especially as rainfall has significantly declined across much of Sumatra,” Mr Abdul Muhari, a spokesman for Indonesia’s National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB), told the Chinese state-run news agency Xinhua on July 22.

Two regencies in the West Sumatra province – Solok and Lima Puluh Kota – declared a state of emergency on July 22, as more hot spots were reported there.

Mr Ilham Wahab, of the West Sumatra Provincial Disaster Management Agency, told Xinhua that all of Solok’s 14 districts had been hit by forest fires.

Most of the fires in Lima Puluh Kota in West Sumatra, meanwhile, were on slopes that had angles of 70 degrees to 90 degrees, making it difficult for firefighters to reach these areas. Mr Wahab said helicopters using water and retardants to quell fires had yet to be deployed to West Sumatra as most firefighting efforts were currently being directed towards the provinces of Riau and South Sumatra.

More than 140 forest and peatland fires were reported in Riau in central Sumatra over the weekend.

Rokan Hilir and Rokan Hulu were the two districts in the province worst hit by fires, which burned about 46ha there, resulting in heavy haze pollution across the area that reduced visibility to as low as a kilometre.

A number of areas in Riau were still covered by thick haze on July 22, although choking smoke had not been registered in the provincial capital of Pekanbaru, said Riau deputy police chief Adrianto Jossy Kusumo.

The number of hot spots – places with intense heat suggesting forest fires – in Sumatra has soared from 94 to more than 1,000 in 10 days in July, according to Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency.

The BNPB warned that there could be more hot spots if the dry conditions persist.

Disaster management officials have been trying to contain the forest fires by, among other measures, seeding clouds to induce rainfall.

Forest fires are an annual problem in Indonesia that strains relations with neighbouring countries.

In recent years, smoke from the fires has blanketed parts of Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia and southern Thailand.

Four places in Malaysia recorded unhealthy air pollutant index (API) readings early on July 22.

The affected areas are Seremban, Negeri Sembilan, with an API of 155; Nilai, Negeri Sembilan (154); Johan Setia in Selangor (151); and Balok Baru in Kuantan, Pahang (140). API levels of between 101 and 200 are considered unhealthy, especially for high-risk groups such as the elderly, children and individuals with respiratory illnesses.